Event category: Plenary

Hear from a panel of CEOs + Founders who have recently exited and now can reflect on the process in the rear-view mirror. Let them help you build and broaden your frame of reference by sharing their own tales from the trenches.

You’ll hear:

• What goes into selling your company
• How and why did the founders decide to do it
• What they wish they had known, their key learnings and what they would change.If you join another team, what it’s like to go from being in charge to being an employee?
• The emotional side of selling and what it’s like to walk away from something you put so much time and energy into building.
• Founder learned from that experience of selling the company, how it helped them grow, and what you can learn looking at your own company’s journey.

Boris helped build AbeBooks, which Amazon acquired for $90 million. Since that sale, he has raised more than $250 million in venture capital and seen the likes of Google, Salesforce, Groupon, and Twitter acquire companies in his portfolio. But that’s not what he wants to talk to you about. He wants Canadian Founders to focus on building generational tech companies. How can Founders stay future-focused and think long-term? How can M&A play a part in your growth? Learn all this and more.

The discipline of M&A is complex and labyrinthine, peppered with its share of false starts, thrilling chases, and heartbreaking shortfalls. This panel of experienced lawyers, investment bankers and serial acquirers discuss why deals are falling apart from the buyer and seller perspectives.

You will learn:

• Why so many acquisitions fail during the due diligence phase
• Areas that buyers will focus on that you may not have thought about
• Negotiation tactics used by savvy buyers and their acquisition teams
• Tactics to avoid major post-sale surprises.

The go-go days of 2021 are over. 2022 was the polar opposite: rocky and uncertain. Is 2023 the year we level set? What does the future hold in store? What does this mean for the tech landscape when it comes to M&A? Most importantly, what does this mean for you as a Founder/CEO? And how can you harness this information to your advantage?

Join John Ruffolo as he talks how 2023 is unfolding and his predictions for the coming quarter. This session will provide insights into a macro view of the economy and cast a lens on industry sector differences. You will walk away with:

• An overview of the current economic conditions and market trends that founders need to consider when thinking about them.
• An understanding of how these trends are impacting their business.
• Insights into the current M&A environment, such as industry consolidations, leading acquirers and other factors which might affect your future.

Evaluating M&A opportunities can be the board’s highest stake role — while also the most frustrating. Although some companies make regular acquisitions a part of their corporate strategy, most are occasional, stressful events that involve many uncertainties.

Board actions and decisions get made on a hurry-up-and-wait basis. Decisions reached today are second-guessed for years to come. And often, no matter how diligently the board acts, there is an information mismatch between what the board needs to know to make the best decisions and what it gets from leadership. Learn all Board Governance, its role in M&A and how to do it right.

Capital markets data and analytics startup Canalyst was acquired by Tegus, a leading company intelligence platform, resulting in one of the largest-ever tech exits in BC. The acquisition closed in August 2022 amidst (and despite) the broader technology market downturn. Join Canalyst co-founder & CEO, Damir Hot, as he shares Canalyst’s story and lessons learned hot off the heels of his most recent exit.